§ Lord Brockwayasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will report on the progress of the United Nations Commission on Transnational Corporations in preparing a code of conduct for such corporations; whether they are co-operating with the inter-Governmental Working Group; and what are the prospects for the realisation of such a code at an international level.
The Minister of State, Department of Employment (The Earl of Gowrie)The Inter-Governmental Working Group which has been preparing a code of conduct was asked to complete a draft of the code in time for consideration at the seventh session of the commission in September this year. The Government were not able to fulfil this mandate in the time available, and further activity in the working group is now envisaged. Several difficult issues remain to be resolved, and it is not possible to say whether a code will be agreed in the course of this further work over the next year.